Old Market Inspires Winning Visit Omaha Booth

Old Market Inspires Big Win for Omaha

OMAHA, NE – Omaha grabs the spotlight in front of thousands of national convention planners and decision-makers by taking top honors at one of the largest convention tradeshows in the country. Visit Omaha received first place for best tradeshow booth at the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Annual Meeting and Expo in Salt Lake City.

“The tradeshow included 679 exhibitors representing almost every major city in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, cruise lines and every major hotel corporation,” said Keith Backsen, Executive Director of Visit Omaha. “For Omaha to stand out against all of these other - and in most cases larger - destinations is a huge step toward enhancing Omaha’s image as a convention destination,” added Backsen.

The Visit Omaha booth was a recreation of the Old Market Entertainment District and provided four distinct stops where attendees could taste, experience, and take a piece of Omaha home with them.

The four stops included:
• The Omaha Steakhouse - offered freshly-grilled Omaha Steak samples prepared by on-site chefs.
• The Omaha Emporium - showcased hand-crafted soap made by the Benson Soap Company.
• The Omaha Brewery - served craft root beer on tap in commemorative Omaha Craft beer mugs.
• The Omaha VIP Lounge - featured video and photography of Omaha attractions and meeting space, which made for a visual place for attendees to meet with members of the Visit Omaha sales team.

ASAE first-time attendees judged the booth on a number of factors including company identity, product presentation, design elements, exhibit personnel and overall presence on the tradeshow floor. ASAE is an organization made up of trade associations and individual membership societies that represent almost every sector of the economy and countless professions – all of which hold meetings throughout the country.

“A total of 800 people, representing more than 350 different organizations, came through the Visit Omaha booth. Those connections could lead to future meeting and convention business for Omaha, and that’s the real payoff here,” said Backsen.